Sunni Islam

Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Its traditions center the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad’s Sunna, with religious authority grounded in revelation, transmitted teachings, and the Muslim community.

Quran: The central scripture of Islam, understood by Muslims as God’s revelation to Muhammad. Sunni Islam treats the Quran as its primary revealed source.
Fiqh: Human understanding and interpretation of Islamic law derived from religious sources. Fiqh turns Sunni scriptural and transmitted sources into practical rulings.
Succession to Muhammad: The early Muslim dispute over who should lead the community after Muhammad’s death in 632. Different positions on succession contributed to the later Sunni–Shi'a division.
Shia Islam: A major branch of Islam that gives particular religious authority to Muhammad’s family, especially Ali and his descendants. Sunni and Shia traditions developed distinct accounts of legitimate leadership after Muhammad.
Sunna: The normative example of Muhammad, preserved in reports of his words, actions, and approvals. The Prophet’s Sunna gives Sunni practice its second foundational source.
Usul al-fiqh: The principles and methods used to derive Islamic legal rulings from their sources. These methods explain how Sunni jurists reason from Quran and hadith.
Abu Bakr: The first caliph of the Muslim community after Muhammad’s death. Sunni accounts recognize Abu Bakr as the first rightly guided caliph.
Ibadi Islam: A distinct Islamic tradition with early roots, historically associated with communities in Oman and North Africa. Ibadism is neither Sunni nor Shia, despite some shared early historical contexts.
Hadith: A transmitted report describing Muhammad’s words, actions, or approvals. Hadith collections preserve much of the material used to reconstruct the Sunna.
Qiyas: Analogical reasoning that extends a legal ruling to a new case sharing its effective cause. Sunni jurists use analogy to address cases not explicitly covered by texts.

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